![Ginette McDonald (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Ginette_McDonald_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Ginette Denise McDonald (born 18 April 1952) is a New Zealand actor, and television producer and director, best known for her comedic
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
, "Lyn of Tawa".
Early life
McDonald was born in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
on 18 April 1952, the daughter of Joan Margaret McDonald (née Legg) and James Joseph McDonald, and educated at
Erskine College
Erskine College is a private Christian college in Due West, South Carolina. It is an undergraduate liberal arts college and a graduate theological seminary. The college was founded in 1839 by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Its spor ...
.
Acting career
Beginning her professional acting career on stage and radio as a teenager, first appearing at Wellington's
Downstage Theatre
Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Coli ...
in 1967.
McDonald made her New Zealand television debut in 1971 in an episode of the drama series ''
Pukemanu
''Pukemanu'' was a New Zealand television series that ran from 1971 to 1972.
Background
The series, set in a fictional location, was considered to break ground in the way it approached the subject and examined the town that it was set in. It was ...
''.
She then spent five years in London, where her television appearances included small parts in programmes including ''
Harriet's Back in Town
''Harriet's Back in Town'' is a 1972 British television series produced by Thames Television.
The cast included Pauline Yates, William Russell, Edwin Richfield and Sally Bazely.
The show featured a newly divorced woman (Harriet Preston, play ...
'', ''
Angels
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
'' and ''
The Nine Tailors
''The Nine Tailors'' is a 1934 mystery novel by the British writer Dorothy L. Sayers, her ninth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. The story is set in the Lincolnshire Fens, and revolves around a group of bell-ringers at the local parish church. The b ...
'', and the lead in the television play ''Sweeping Plains''.
She also appeared in the production of ''
Don's Party
''Don's Party'' is a 1971 play by David Williamson set during the 1969 Australian federal election. The play opened on 11 August 1971 at The Pram Factory theatre in Carlton.
Plot
Don Henderson is a schoolteacher living with his wife Kath and ba ...
'' at the
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...
in 1975.
Following her return to New Zealand in 1976, McDonald played the role of Shirley Paget in the television soap opera ''
Close to Home''.
She also played Beryl in the original television adaptation of
Roger Hall's play ''Glide Time''.
From the late 1970s McDonald's best-known character, "Lyn of Tawa", was seen on New Zealand television in her own series (the theme song to which was a remake of the instrumental tune "
The Happy Organ
"The Happy Organ" is the name of an instrumental composition made famous by Dave "Baby" Cortez in 1959. Cortez co-composed it with noted celebrity photographer James J. Kriegsmann and frequent collaborator Ken Wood. A significant portion of the ...
"), as well as in a monologue during the 1981 Royal Variety Performance at the
St James Theatre, Auckland. Lyn reappeared in the 1990s in ''In Search of the Great New Zealand Male'' and ''Visual Symphonies''.
In 1979, McDonald portrayed cheerful mother-to-be Sandra Allenby opposite Stephen Tozer in the tele-movie ''It's Your Child''. She played the title character in the 1983 television drama ''Pioneer Women – Hera Ngoungou''. In 1989 she appeared as Lady Guinevere Galaxy in the children's sci-fi television series ''Space Knights''.
During the 1990s, McDonald's acting credits included ''Dead Certs'' (1995) alongside
Rawiri Paratene, ''Face Value – Her New Life'' (1995)—which she also produced
—and
''Duggan'' (1999).
She also presented the New Zealand version of the garden makeover show ''
Ground Force
''Ground Force'' was a British garden makeover television series originally broadcast by the BBC between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh.
Production
The series was created b ...
'' from 1998 to 1999.
She played June Ramsay in the 1997 production of
Anthony McCarten
Anthony McCarten (born 28 April 1961) is a New Zealand writer and filmmaker. He is best known for writing big-budget biopics '' The Theory of Everything'' (2014), '' Darkest Hour'' (2017), ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' (2018), ''The Two Popes'' (2019 ...
's play ''Four Cities'' at Circa Theatre in Wellington.
In the 2000s she has appeared in the one-woman play ''
My Brilliant Divorce'' at Downstage, and as Rhonda in the 2011 tele-movie ''Rage'', set during the
1981 Springbok tour
The 1981 South African rugby tour (known in New Zealand as the Springbok Tour, and in Republic of South Africa, South Africa as the Rebel Tour) polarised opinions and inspired widespread protests across New Zealand. The controversy also extende ...
.
She also played the role of a marriage celebrant in the 2009 New Zealand movie ''
Separation City
''Separation City'' is a 2009 New Zealand film starring Joel Edgerton, Rhona Mitra, Danielle Cormack, and Les Hill. It is directed by Paul Middleditch. Filming concluded in June, 2009, after 5 weeks of shooting.
It is a comedy-drama, following ...
''. Her daughter Kate McGill is also an actress.
"Lyn of Tawa"
McDonald's alter ego, "Lyn of Tawa", first appeared onstage as a result of a backstage encounter between McDonald and playwright
Bruce Mason
Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appo ...
in the late 1960s, in which Mason heard McDonald experiment with various accents. McDonald subsequently created "Lyn of Tawa" and, together with Mason and Roger Hall, wrote a series of sketches featuring the character for the
revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...
show ''Knickers''. It was, however, after McDonald's return from London that Lyn really came to prominence, following her appearance at a
celebrity roast
A roast is a form of humor in which a specific individual, a guest of honor, is subjected to jokes at their expense, intended to amuse the event's wider audience. Such events are intended to honor a specific individual in a unique way. In addition ...
for Judith Fyfe, which led to spots on variety shows, then one-off special and culminated in her own series.
She said in 2016 that she would ''let go'' of ''Lyn of Tawa'' to take on older roles.
Career as producer and director
McDonald made her debut as a television director and producer on the final series of ''
Gliding On
''Gliding On'' is a New Zealand sitcom that aired from 1981 to 1985.
It was written by Roger Hall and adapted from his play ''Glide Time'', and directed by Tony Holden. The series depicts the working lives of four staff members at a government ...
''. She also directed episodes of ''Close to Home'', ''Open House'' and ''Country GP''. McDonald produced the award-winning kidult television series ''The Fire-Raiser'', written by
Maurice Gee
Maurice Gough Gee (born 22 August 1931) is a New Zealand novelist. He is one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and has won numerous awards both in New Zealand an ...
, and was the creator and producer of the 1987 series ''Peppermint Twist''. She also produced another series written by Maurice Gee, ''The Champion'', in 1989. Other programmes produced by McDonald include the television adaptations of the 1997 play ''Nga Wahine'' by
Riwia Brown
Riwia Brown (née Taylor; born 1957) is a New Zealand playwright. She is the screenwriter of the popular and award-winning New Zealand movie ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994). The ''Once Were Warriors'' screenplay, adapted from the book of the sam ...
, and ''Joyful and Triumphant'' by
Robert Lord.
Honours and awards
In 1970 McDonald won the Hollywood Bowl radio award for best voice commercial.
She was twice named best actress at the
Feltex Award
New Zealand film and television awards have gone by many different names and have been organised by different industry groups. As of 2017, New Zealand has relaunched a standalone New Zealand Television Awards after a five-year hiatus. The film awar ...
s, in 1980 and 1984, for her roles in ''Pioneer Women'' and ''It's Your Child'', respectively. In 1989, she won the best drama and best children's programme trophies for ''The Fire-Raiser'' at the
GOFTA awards, and also won an Australian Pater Award for producer of the best drama series for the same show.
McDonald was a nominated finalist for ''Face Value – Her New Life'' at the
Banff and
New York Television Festival
The New York Television Festival (NYTVF) is a yearly festival dedicated to the celebration and promotion of independent small-screen productions, web series, and television.
Background
The festival was founded in 2005, and is held in venues acr ...
s.
In the
2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours, McDonald was appointed an
Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...
, for services to entertainment.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Ginette
1952 births
Living people
Actresses from Wellington City
New Zealand actresses
New Zealand television directors
New Zealand television producers
Women television producers
New Zealand comedians
New Zealand women comedians
New Zealand expatriates in England
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit
People educated at Erskine College, Wellington
Women television directors